Apple's AI chief is now former Microsoft employee Amar Subramaniya, while his predecessor John Giannandrea is leaving the company
Apple has announced that John Giannandrea, who served as senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, will retire from the company in spring 2026. He will be replaced by Amar Subramaniyah, who has experience in AI research at Microsoft. Giannandrea will step down as an advisor and then retire from Apple.
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Giannandrea, who worked on machine learning and search functions at Google, was recruited by Apple in 2018 and has served in the search and AI departments. In recent years, as chief of the AI department, he has been working with Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, to introduce generative AI.
On December 1, 2025, Apple announced Giannandrea's retirement, stating that he would retire in January 2026.
Giannandrea will be succeeded by Subramaniyah, who previously led Gemini engineering at Google and later served as corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft. Subramaniyah will report to Federighi and oversee areas such as machine learning research, AI safety, and evaluation. The remaining responsibilities of Giannandrea's team will be transferred to Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan and Vice President of Services Eddy Cue, who will strengthen collaboration across related departments.
Apple welcomed Subramaniyah, saying his 'extensive experience and deep expertise in AI and machine learning research, and integrating that research into products and features, will be important to Apple's continued innovation and future Apple Intelligence capabilities.'
'We are grateful to John for his key role in building and driving our AI work, helping Apple continue to innovate and enrich the lives of our users,' said CEO Tim Cook. 'We are thrilled to welcome Amal to Craig's team and to benefit from his exceptional AI expertise.'
'With this change in leadership, Apple will continue to push the boundaries of what's possible,' Apple said. 'By building on Giannandrea's contributions, expanding Federighi's oversight, and adding Subramanian's deep expertise to guide the next generation of AI technology, Apple is well-positioned to accelerate its efforts to deliver intelligent, trustworthy, and deeply personal experiences. This moment marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter that strengthens Apple's commitment to shaping the future of AI for customers around the world.'
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